Oh, I dunno. Heaven's way of washing a filthy planet?
she'd say on days the laundry pile disgusted her.

So farmers can grow more veggies for us to waste!
she'd sing, pointing her fork at my steamed spinach.

And the month my older brother ran away: Well . . .
I guess sometimes even God needs a good cry.

She's gone. But I've taken up explaining things her way.

            For example:

In 1907, a physician determined a soul weighs 21.3 grams
by remeasuring the mass of recently deceased bodies.

And the average raindrop weighs 0.034 grams.

Therefore, one soul needs more than 626 raindrops
to carry it. Should it wish to travel in the form of rain.

             Or:

An umbrella is a flimsy shield used to protect your soul
from the invasion of bodiless souls disguised as rain.

            And:

I don't own an umbrella because I look better wet.
And in case my mother's been trying to reach me.
from the journal EPOCH
READ ABOUT TODAY'S POEM
Share Share
Tweet Tweet
Forward Forward
I wanted to include weird science, math and maybe a bit of sass in this poem to temper the heavy theme of grief. Love having dialogue and character too. My recent work uses odd facts as inspiration and a way into poems. I never know where they will take me. 
Color image of Poets & Writers magazine which contains this article
"Authors Take on AI, File Lawsuits"

"Lawyers representing authors in several of the suits, Joseph Saveri and Matthew Butterick, say these AI language models 'remix the copyrighted works of thousands of authors....without consent, compensation, or credit,' according to a statement they issued in June. Many of the books likely came from websites, or 'shadow libraries,' that distribute pirated books and publications, the attorneys say."

via POETS AND WRITERS MAGAZINE
READ ALL TODAY'S HEADLINES
What Sparks Poetry:
Duy Đoàn on Language as Form

"The only fixed form I think I have ever wanted to understand is the pantoum. The fact that it's a Southeast Asian form really appealed to me. From what I know, it's an old Malaysian form. All of the lines are repeated once in a predetermined order. I've seen lots of variations when it comes to the order. The poet decides. These repetitions bring about a unique musical quality, which is one of the big draws of the pantoum. But the thing I like most about the form is its transparency."
READ THIS WEEK'S ISSUE
donate
View in browser

You have received this email because you submitted your email address at www.poems.com. 
If you would like to unsubscribe please click here.

© 2023 Poetry Daily, Poetry Daily, MS 3E4, 4400 University Dr., Fairfax, VA 22030

Design by the Binding Agency